


Snuggle Bloody

by RunRabbitRun



Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Blood, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-16
Updated: 2013-09-16
Packaged: 2017-12-26 17:34:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/968561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RunRabbitRun/pseuds/RunRabbitRun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Carlos gets caught in a Blood Rain and chased by Spiderwolves. Luckily he has a considerate boyfriend to cheer him up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snuggle Bloody

**Author's Note:**

> Don't mind me, I'm just indulging my kink for coshowering, nbd...

“… And now, dear listeners, let us rest. Let us recover from today’s Semiannual Spiderwolf Convention and Volleyball Tournament much like the Earth itself recovers using today’s Biannual Blood Rain. Let us soak ourselves in the metaphorical balm of dreams and soft, only slightly growling beds like the soil soaks up the literal Blood of the Cosmos. As you prepare for sleep, stay tuned for all three relaxing hours of The Sounds of Sinkholes, local musician Joey J’s sophomore album. And good night, Night Vale. Good night.”

Cecil clicked the touchpad on his laptop a couple of times and pressed a large purple button on his soundboard, switching the broadcast over to Joey’s music. He stretched, long and languid, carefully hung up his headphones, and filed away the recordings of that evening’s broadcast. It had been a longer than usual show that evening, due to both the sudden influx of Spiderwolves as well as the unexpected Blood Rain that drenched the town for the better part of the day. Both events were semiannual and biannual, respectively, but no one knew for sure at what two times during the year they would occur. Cecil grimaced faintly as he remembered 1996, when the two Spiderwolf Conventions took place only two days apart. They lost a lot of good Volleyball players that year…

Cecil shook the grim thoughts from his mind and hummed as he switched off the lights in his booth and locked up the station for the night. Tomorrow was Sunday, his one and only day off. Sunday broadcasts were made up entirely of hypnotic tones, chanting, and the occasional Sponsored Message. 

Cecil had _plans_. He had _plans_ for _brunch_. He had _plans_ for _brunch_ at _Gino’s_. _With Carlos_.

He was very excited. So excited, in fact, that after he drove home to his apartment building he almost didn’t notice the figure hunched on the stoop, half-lit in the buzzy orange light of the streetlamps. Cautiously, Cecil approached, his emergency stake (usually stored safely in his glovebox) clutched tight in his fist.

“Cecil?” the figure said in a wavery voice that was no less _caramel_ for its hoarseness.

“Oh, Carlos!” Cecil stuck the stake in his pocket and practically skipped up the front steps to embrace Carlos. He then recognized the strong iron smell of blood and ozone and backed up a bit, looking Carlos over. “Oh, dear,” He said. “You got caught in the Blood Rain, didn’t you?”

Carlos nodded. He was covered from worn out hiking boots to _perfect_ hair in dried blood. In the dim light, Cecil could see where the blood on his skin was starting to flake off, leaving lightening-shaped streaks across his beautiful face. He stared for a minute, struck by Carlos’s unholy gorgeousness. Carlos cleared his throat.

“Cecil? Uh-“ He said, his voice still small and unsteady.

“Oh! Sorry,” Cecil stammered, a slightly phosphorescent blush lighting his cheeks. “C’mon, let’s go inside and get cleaned up, okay? You can use all the hot water you need to.”

Fumbling only slightly, Cecil unlocked the front door of his apartment building and led a shivering, mute Carlos by the hand up the two flights of stairs to his apartment. Cecil chattered away nervously as they walked along. He really wasn’t good at caretaking one-on-one. Comforting an entire town via radiowaves was very different than having to help a single, beloved one through trauma when they were standing wide-eyed and silent in your foyer, dropping little flakes of dried Cosmic Blood every time they moved.

“Uhm, I hate to tell you this but I think your clothes are pretty much ruined,” Cecil said, gesturing weakly at Carlos’s horribly stained labcoat. “I think your shoes will be fine, if you don’t mind the staining…”

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Carlos seemed to snap out of it and started stripping right in the middle of Cecil’s foyer. Cecil watched avidly even as he took each piece of soiled clothing Carlos held out for him. “God, I needed to be out of those clothes, you have no idea…” he mumbled. He toed off his boots and stripped out of his socks, one hand on Cecil’s shoulder for support. He finally stood, still shaking, in just his mostly bloodless boxers, hugging himself and glancing uneasily around the room. Cecil’s mouth went dry.

They’d been together once before but that had been in safe dark of Carlos’s bedroom, under his sheets. This somehow seemed much more intimate than that even though it was _horrible_. Cecil didn’t mind Cosmic Blood so much, but Carlos’s clear distress made his insides ache. There was so much they both didn’t understand; about each other, about the nature of the cosmic blood of the universe…

Cecil cleared his throat and rolled Carlos’s clothes up in a ball. “I’ll go, uh, throw these out. Sorry. You go ahead and shower and I-“

“Cecil,” Carlos said suddenly, grabbing Cecil’s wrist. “I really- I can’t be alone right now. Please?” He didn’t even seem to know what he was asking for. Cecil gulped audibly (thank you, NVCR sponsors) and pulled Carlos towards the bathroom.

Carlos dropped his boxers and stepped into the shower-bath, waiting for Cecil. Cecil, meanwhile, had to work at not tripping over his pants as he undressed because _beautiful Carlos was naked in his bathroom_. It was almost too much; Carlos looked even better in full light, all long elegant limbs and dark hair and warm skin. Goodness, he needed to _focus_.

Cecil had a big shower-bath (Night Vale law demanded that all apartments built after 1987 be fitted with facilities accessible to beings up to ten feet in height) but it still felt incredibly close when he stepped in and slid the curtain across. He fiddled with the faucet, letting the water heat to an acceptable temperature before switching on the shower head. Reddish water swirled around Carlos and Cecil’s feet and down the drain, which belched quietly.

Cecil straightened and turned awkwardly to find Carlos hunched over with his arms wrapped around himself, tears streaking down his cheeks.

“Oh my God! I mean-uh-“

“It’s okay, Cecil,” Carlos mumbled, scrubbing his face with his hands, smearing the blood around. “It’s just been a rough day.” He hiccoughed and sobbed. Cecil dithered for a second before throwing his arms around Carlos, blood be damned, and hugging him hard. Carlos immediately returned the embrace and rested his cheek on Cecil’s shoulder. Cecil fiercely repressed a squeal of delight; Carlos needed comforting and it was not the time for squealing.

“I was out by the old gas station,” Carlos said, his soft lips ticking Cecil’s shoulder. “I was trying to catch one of those lizards, the ones with the wings, when I heard the dogs coming-“

“The Spiderwolves?” Cecil corrected. Carlos shuddered.

“Yeah, those. They came running around the side of the gas station. I had to climb up the WZZZ radio tower to get away. I was stuck there for, God, I don’t even know. Two hours? It started raining blood and I couldn’t come down because the wolves were just circling, waiting for me to fall-“ he sobbed again and held Cecil tighter.

“You’re okay,” Cecil said softly, stroking Carlos’s hair, now matted to his head with the water and blood. “You’re okay, you’re okay…” He didn’t know what else to say. Carlos was usually his strong, silent, heroic scientist. Cecil rocked Carlos gently, feeling useless without a script in front of him.

Carlos didn’t seem to mind. He cried into Cecil’s shoulder for a while, clinging to his shoulders and breathing hot against his neck, before he gathered himself and pulled back slightly. He smiled ruefully and looked down at Cecil’s body, now smeared with blood.

“Sorry-“ he started.

“Don’t worry about it!” Cecil said a little shrilly, smiling wide. He cleared his throat and softened his smile. “C’mon, let’s get cleaned up, ‘kay?”

Cecil switched places with Carlos so that the scientist could get the full benefit of the shower’s spray. Carlos let Cecil maneuver him under the water and sighed, finally relaxing as Cecil washed his hair and skin clean of blood. Cecil had wonderful hands, long boned but strong. His soap and shampoo smelled of petrichor and silver (how Carlos could recognize the scent of _silver_ he wasn’t sure) and he thoroughly washed every bit of blood away. Cecil was flushed red and his eyes were very bright. He squeaked a little when Carlos turned and started to return the favor, massaging shampoo into Cecil’s hair and across his bony shoulders. They ended up using a lot more soap than was necessary. Night Vale water heaters were unnaturally powerful and the steam rose around them in great, billowing clouds and the never-ending hot water washed all the soap and blood away. By the time their fingers were pruney and they were both tired of standing it was past midnight. Carlos was too tired to even wonder if the little clock on Cecil’s bathroom counter was real or if I told the correct time. He didn’t care because Cecil was handing him a fluffy purple towel and they were drying off together. Then they were padding barefoot across the hall to Cecil’s bedroom, where they flopped down onto Cecil’s huge and ridiculous purple and green bed. The mattress purred happily as they curled up under the blankets, naked but warm.  

Carlos lay stiff as a board and only relaxed when Cecil scooted up close and draped himself unselfconsciously over him, nuzzling his neck.

“I have stuff for huevos rancheros,” he said quietly. “What do you say we skip Gino’s and just stay home tomorrow?”

“That sounds fantastic,” Carlos murmured sleepily. “You can tell me why it rained blood all afternoon, maybe.”

“Oh, that’s just the Blood Cycle. Happens twice a year. I don’t think it’s ever happened on the same day as the Semi Annual Spiderwolf Convention and Volleyball Tournament before, so that’s interesting.”

Carlos was quiet for a moment and then said “Blood Cycle. Okay, then. Sure.” He giggled and pulled Cecil closer. Cecil didn’t quite get it, but he let it go. Carlos said a lot of things Cecil didn’t understand but he never called him out or treated him like an idiot.

“Don’t worry about it,” Cecil said. “Just carry an umbrella and stock up on enzymatic cleaners.”

Carlos huffed a laugh into Cecil’s hair. “What would I do without you?”

“Take a shower at your own apartment, probably,” Cecil said, and Carlos laughed again. He stroked Carlos’s belly, trying to resist the temptation to just reach down and wrap his hand around Carlos’s half-hard cock. Cecil knew from observation that Carlos sometimes thought his reactions were strange and out of sync, so he tried to be considerate; he drank less and talked more (in private and only to Carlos, locked securely in the bathroom with the shower running loudly) when he saw something disturbing, and he didn’t immediately go for sex when Carlos was upset.

 _“I don’t mind that you like sex when you’re upset, Ceec,”_ Carlos had muttered into Cecil’s damp temple one evening. _“I like doing what makes you happy. I just… when I’m upset I’m not really into fucking. Uhm, emotionally speaking.”_

“Does it not rain blood where you’re from?” Cecil asked drowsily.

“Nope.”

“How does the earth renew itself, then?”

“It rains water. More often than here,” Carlos said. He was falling asleep.

“Inefficient,” Cecil murmured.

“Cleaner,” Carlos countered.

“Maybe. You do… you do like it here, right? Even if it does rain blood?” Cecil asked, trying not to cling. Carlos turned his head and cracked a sleepy smile.

“It’s weird, but it’s worth it.”


End file.
